Untold History: The Good Ole' Days
by Aviarianna O Lorien
Summary: (( Official PREQUEL to Untold History) The life and times of Yoko Kurama and Kuronue as they try to navigate thievery and...raising the stray Kurionue decided he just couldn't leave in the ditch. "GO Kuronue!" "I"m sorry...I'm so sorry...Ni-san has you, you'll be fine..." Please hurry Kuronue...
1. On Wait Is That a BABY?

**Untold History: The Good Ole Days**

Disclaimer: I don't own Kurama or Kuronue or the Makai or anything recognizable. I do own Avaria however, she's MY creation.

*** Please note this is the PREQUEL to Untold History, it takes place long before Yusuke or Hiei existed, you won't really be seeing them here. Maybe a hint of Hiei but that's about it. I wont say you need to read the original Untold History first but THAT story is complete while this one is just starting. I highly suggest giving it a look. Thank you! ****

Chapter 1: On…Wait…Is That a BABY?

Yoko Kurama, legendary bandit that he was would _always_ remember the very first time he met Kuronue. Not because of an act of heroism, for fucks sake they're all demons here. Not because Kuronue acted in any shape or form like Yoko was the almighty legendary bandit that he was. No one went fan-crazy, no one cowered, no one gave a damn about the fox's sadistic reputation which had been solidified by what he'd done to Yomi. In fact, it was two basic things Kurama noticed the second Kuronue approached him in that gods forsaken hole of a bar.

One: Kuronue didn't give two shits what anybody else thought about him.

" _Yoko_...Kurama. So... you literally named yourself Demon Fox...Kurama..." And then the bat demon burst out laughing so hard that he fell off the bar stool. And no, he wasn't even drunk, yet.

Two: Kuronue had some serious balls.

"No...ha ha! No points for originality man!" The dark-haired male wiped a few stray tears away from his eyes. The dark indigo color shone with unhidden mirth as he pulled himself back up onto the stool, settling once again on the scarred wood. What few patrons there actually were wisely kept to themselves after glancing at the commotion.

Yoko sighed inwardly and cast his golden glance sideways at the other man. He eyed the black wings, the black hair, the black... well, everything. His clothes were black, his odd hat that his ponytail was springing from was black, his ponytail was black, his wings were black. It contrasted with his pale skin and hidden just so under the arm wraps were the pearlescent hints of scars. Before the bat demon could say anything else at his expense he growled out. " It's a TITLE. Now...who are you?"

"Ah damn..." Kuronue blanched and scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry, sorry... I forget I'm not nearly as legendary as you are. My name is Kuronue. " He held out a hand to the fox demon who eyed it disdainfully for several moments before reluctantly shaking it.

"Humble aren't you. " He grumbled under his breath before continuing in a far more conversational tone. "So... you're a thief then?" At the very least Kurama's curiosity was piqued by the bat.

"Well...you tell me." Kuronue winked, holding up a pouch of coins in what was meant to be an innocent looking gesture. Truth was Kuronue didn't have an innocent bone in his body and he never would. This being the case he only succeeded in looking awkwardly cheerful and perhaps a little like he had to use the bathroom. It was off putting enough that it took Kurama an extra few seconds to realize what had happened.

Score one for Kuronue.

" The hell?" Kurama blinked his gold eyes, hand pawing the area where that pouch should have been. Kuronue had swiped it right off his body and the demon fox hadn't noticed? This time it was the fox who burst out laughing. No, he wasn't drunk yet either.

This was the beginning of a beautiful partnership!

Kuronue, by some miracle nobody was going to question, was invited on Kurama's next job. Between his awkward yet charming personality and the fact that he said whatever the hell popped into his head, Kurama almost instantly took a shine to him. He was also almost instantly and consistently annoyed by him but the benefits of having a trustworthy partner overwrote the annoyance, mostly. Kuronues skills helped as well as it soon became apparent the bat had downplayed his power. Kuronue had first approached the fix simply hoping for a few pointers, and he himself found that he rather liked the silver haired demon. Even if he occasionally got smacked upside the head by him for a stupid comment or deliberate stubbornness. Kurama was stubborn but Kuronue could give him a run for his money. By yet another miracle one job became two became three became four and after a year the pair were inseparable as brothers and twice the causing twice the trouble for anyone with treasures.

They could go after bigger scores.

They could expand their own territory.

And Kuronue wasn't damn near as rash and reckless as Yomi had proved to be.

They had been slinking around the Makai for several years at this point. They were so well in sync with each other that they always managed to stay a step (Or five) ahead of whoever had it in for them this week. Right now a B-Class idiot who thought he was something special was after them. They had stolen a rather powerful little gem he'd been hiding away from his tiny little village. Well...he'd been using it to make them all think he was a lot more powerful then he actually was, the thieves were a bit sad they'd miss that eventual bloody coup.

"That was far FAR too easy." Kuronue snorted as they sped away into the distance. He could still hear the enraged roar of the ugly, blue skinned, sort of cyclops looking "Village Leader".

"What do I keep saying about jinxing us?" Kurama growled out, rolling his eyes in his partners direction.

"Mmmm..." Kuronue perched himself on a boulder as they cleared the tree line, lips pursed tightly. " Not to. You know, I make one little mistake and you never let me forget it!" He dashed off again, gliding past his speeding counterpart on the ground, leathery wings outstretched.

"Well then lets dislocated the entire right side of your ribcage and see how easily you "forget it"." Kurama grumbled, knowing full well Kuronue could hear him especially after the bark of laughter that followed. Those big pointed ears of his had to be god for something right?

"I said I was sorry!" Kuronue replied as they split apart at the bank of a fast-moving river. Kuronue tossed the tennis ball sized reddish-purple gem to Kurama as he launched himself over the wide, fast moving water. " See you at the usual!" And he was off, a black dot in the bright sky.

Kurama caught the gem without missing a beat and tucked it into his shirt. By now they both knew that they had long outrun whatever grunts their involuntary gem donor had sent after them. Be that as it may, it was always wiser in these situations to split up once they got near to their closest "usual" spot. No sense in tempting fate TOO much right? Kurama wasn't legendary for making _stupid_ decisions after all. He and his winged brother had been going good and strong for over a hundred years now, life was good!

Fate was about fix that little..."problem".

Upon approaching the clearing, well hidden by a few extra thick plants that had been allowed to grow uncontrolled Kurama heard something odd. He heard the tones of his brother's voice, soft and quiet, almost cooing as he talked to...something? Someone? Kurama's nose twitched as the barest hint of a smell that wasn't Kuronue, or the natural world around him. It was light and mostly floral, rose water, a tiny hint of something spicy, cinnamon perhaps. He'd never smelled anything quite like it...there was something almost _innocent_ about it. The closer he got, the stronger the scent became and then he heard encountered the strangest thing yet.

An innocent, quiet, infantile...giggle.

As he cleared the edge of the plants hiding the clearing he stopped dead in his tracks. Perched on a fallen tree as if nothing was amiss was Kuronue, but he was not alone. The bat demon was cradling a bundle in his arms, it wasn't exactly small but it wasn't large either and it was wrapped in what looked like a fairly new but muddy blanket. It looked as though Kuronue had pulled it out of a ditch, or a mud puddle. The strange scent and the giggles were coming from the bundle as Kuronue cooed and made faces at whatever was in it. Of course, Kurama KNEW what was in that bundle, but he couldn't for the life himself figure out why Kuronue suddenly HAD the bundle.

Slowly, so slowly, Kurama approached the demon that was his partner. As he got closer to the muddy, blanket wrapped infant he could smell the definite edge of feline, and saw a tiny ear, black and velvety, poke out from the blanket, it twitched in his direction. Despite his quiet and aura suppressing approach the little thing still heard him and suddenly let out an ear-splitting wail. Kuronue winced, doing his best to calm it down as he looked around and finally spotted Kurama a few feet away, looking entirely all too shocked.

Kid had lungs, he would certainly give it that much.

"Kurama! Hey! " he grinned, rocking the babe in his arms to try and get it to hush, slowly the tactic worked. "Look what I found!" Kurama sighed, deeply, perhaps even a bit exasperated. Kuronue was a great partner, he would trust the other demon with his very life but sometimes... sometimes he was absolutely confounding.

"Kuronue...Why do you have a baby?"

" Because I found her..."

"Her...?" Kurama pinched the bridge of his nose, he could feel a sudden headache coming on. Kuronue to his credit did look a bit sheepish, still rocking the infant.

"Yeah...someone dumped her that ravine east of here, the one that floods every time it rains. Who abandons a newborn in a ditch?" Kuronue huffed, yeah, he's a demon and yeah he knows some species or tribes do that but still...

"Plenty of them do around here." Yoko muttered mostly to himself. "Right, and what exactly are you planning to do with...her?"

"Keep her..." Kuronue gave his partner in crime a look that clearly stated how obvious that should have been to him. Remember, Kuronue never had and never would care about what other people thought about him...and he had the stones of steel to back up that attitude. As soon as the bat had seen those big, bright, orange eyes and that little lip wobble and those tiny, fuzzy little ears something had come over him. Her little whimper when she first saw him had been like a sucker punch to the gut. He hadn't even given it a second thought as he'd grabbed her up and gone right back on his way.

"...What?" Kurama choked on his next breath. " We can't keep a BABY!"

"Why not?"

"Because we don't know how the hell to take care of a child! We're thieves! "

"So, we'll teach her how to be a thief too!"

" But -!" Kurama opened his mouth to argue that point then stopped. To be fair, that wasn't actually a bad idea. They could use her during heists to distract people, or to get into places only tiny beings could. (Only until she grew up some of course but given the way demons age that gave them SEVERAL years to take advantage of it.) Kurama eyed the bundle again as he sat down next to his partner.

There were a sparse few places in the Makai that one could just drop off an orphan. And no way in the nine hells he could drop a demon baby in the human world, which right now wouldn't be much better than the Makai. Kuronue wouldn't likely give her up now either, once he got it in his head that something was his responsibility there was no deterring him. Beyond all this Kurama himself didn't feel right about abandoning an infact either, he was ruthless, he was cunning, he was highly intelligent... but he wasn't heartless.

"C'mon Kurama...you know I'm right." Kuronue nudged his shoulder then held the little one out to him. " Just look at all that potential!"

Reluctantly and with extreme care he took hold of the baby and stared down at her. Just like Kuronue had been affected, he found himself drawn in by the big orange eyes staring up at him curiously. She was obviously not a newborn, she was all that tiny, six months or so he'd guess. She also had reaching and grabbing down as she immediately latched ont some strands of silver hair and tugged, giggling at his pained expression.

Then he growled.

Then she cried.

And Kuronue laughed so hard he fell right off the log.

****Chapter Fin*****

Hey folks, you're faithful Author here! I hope I've hooked you enough to keep yourselves posted! I know I said it above but I would just like to reiterate: This is a prequel to my other completed story: Untold History. I highly suggest you go read the other one, while the one has just begun and they are connected, the other one is complete. I guess I'm sort of Maze Runner-ing it? You know how the two prequels for that series ended up being books four and five instead of one and two? Yeah, it's that. Please review if you'd like too, constructive criticism is always welcome.

Know what's really great about this story? You guys get to see Kurama and Kuronue try to raise a child, and since it's not really all that established on what exactly the two demon's daily lives were like, we can have some real fun with this! Rating may change later for some violent scenes, this is the Demon Plane after all... Just because a child is involved doesn't mean it's going to stay all rainbows and butterflies. THANKS FOR READING!


	2. On Well, That's a Crap Name Little Lady

**Untold History: The Good Ole' Days**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Yu Yu Hakusho, I do not make money off this. I write for fun and to hone my skills!

AN: If I may take just a moment I would like to thank the people who have favorited/followed this story so far! And also ask how to change my settings because I am no longer getting alerted when someone faves/follows/reviews. So um if anyone could help me with that? Please and thank you!

Chapter 2: On Well, That's a Crap Name Little Lady

It was hours later when the two thieves made it to one of their many hide-outs. The infant was safely back in Kuronue's arms and thankfully quiet again. Kurama was more interested in where the baby had come from than the actual baby. For now, this suited everyone just fine, Kuronue was absolutely smitten, the big idiot.

To Kurama's credit, when the little thing had started wailing in the clearing he ignored his first instinct which was to drop her and cover his poor ears. Now he was far more interested in the blanket she had been swaddled in, as muddy as the damn thing was it was also of a very high-quality fabric, something that definitely isn't common village folk level. No, this blanket was from a place of privilege.

"Interesting..." He muttered to himself, ignoring the giggling and laughing from the next room. " Hm...?" As he finally managed to get most of the caked on muck off of the soft green fabric he noted that there was some embroidery on the edge of it.

It was a _name._

"Avaria..." He eyed the stitching, also high quality and muttered the name. Then he snorted, someone had played a nasty trick on that little thing. That name sounded so pretty, but it's meaning wasn't very pretty at all. Someone had decided to forever declared that child as "damaged goods". That was a level of cruelty even he wasn't really willing to lower himself to just to be petty to an infant of all things.

It was telling though, such a petty trick stitched into such fine fabric. That little baby was illegitimate and someone had tried to get rid of her. He growled to himself, and though the thought of perhaps tracking down her parents did flash through his mind (For him and Kuronue it wouldn't be difficult, certainly.) but he dismissed it.

He hung the blanket up to dry and went off to find his partner and their newest...acquisition.

Kuronue was slightly concerned. He had no idea how to actually care for a child, much less an infant and he damn well knew it. He wasn't going to delude himself into thinking Kurama was any more knowledgeable either. The bat was brash, not brainless. No, his concern was over the way the little one looked once the blanket had been removed. Turns out that blanket had been making up more of her bodyweight than they'd thought.

She was _tiny._

Tiny...and he didn't think it was because they'd gauged her age wrong. She was tiny because she was malnourished. As he held her up to get a better look at the almost completely absent belly above the line of the cloth diaper he noticed discoloration too. "The hell? Are those bruises? Old bruises? How long were you out there huh?"

"Agah?" Was her only response as she happily sucked on her tiny fingers. Those big orange eyes stared at him curiously, like she had no idea she'd been abandoned in a ditch. She had no idea that she had been found by two ruthless thieves. Kuronue sighed to himself, half amazed and half confounded.

"Well...you seem resilient at least eh? Aren't you! Yes, you are!" He grinned, making a funny face at her. She giggled again and reached for his face to tug on whatever she could, making Kuronue wince. "Ow! Claws! Stabbing!"

She just giggled more and her black, fuzzy kitty ears twitched towards his voice. A tiny little tail even poked out from the back of the diaper. He'd be honest here, he was supposed to be a big, bad, merciless thief and he was totally done in by this squirmy, tiny, fuzzy eared thing. When he finally got her to let go of his face he stood up and held her against his hip, she was way to light even for a baby.

" Okay so...what do we feed you...?" He muttered, glancing at her then around at the various things littering the room. "Shit...we're gonna have to clean this place up some if we don't want you to die accidentally..."

"Language, you're holding a baby you know. " Kurama drawled from the doorway, he was trying to keep a straight face but failed after two seconds and snorted.

" HA! You're one to talk." Kuronue stuck his tongue out at him then blinked, the baby copied him as she waved happily at the fox.

"Mhm...am I now? As I recall I curse a might bit less than you do. You're correct, by the way, we and by we I mostly mean you, are going to have to clean up around here. I'm not investing my time and hard-won money into that little mutt just so she can die because you left out a choking hazard. " Kurama nodded around the room, the floor was covered in potentially dangerous objects.

"Oh yeah? Well you'd better get a handle on your pet plants too then, because I certainly don't feel like losing her to a poisonous plant that shouldn't have been in her reach either. " Kuronue huffed back.

Kurama sniffed, knowing Kuronue had as much a valid point as he did but refused to admit such a thing out loud. This was a thief safe house, it wasn't meant to hold a child. Hell, it was barely suitable for the two adults that built it to inhabit. There were tools, weapons, seeds and other random things strewn about the main room, all very dangerous even to the adults. Kurama's room had a few guardian plants living in it, one room was dedicated solely to poisons and he didn't know the current state of Kuronues room but last time he'd walked by... he shuddered. Yeah, his plants might accidentally bite the baby but in Kuronues room she ran the risk of just plain disappearing in the mess.

Or getting crushed by randomly falling debris piles.

It wasn't long before a new noise broke the silence between the two pouting men. First a little gurgle from the baby's stomach, followed by her whimpers. Kuronue glanced down and almost fell at the watery look in her eyes before she started wailing again. The bat looked to Kurama who had his hands holding his silvery ears as closed as he could, one eye shut in pain from the high-pitched cries.

"What are you looking at me for? I didn't do anything!" Kurama growled at him.

"Neither did I! She's hungry, what do we feed her?" Kuronue growled back.

"How the hell do I know? Milk? Fruit? Stag? Does she have any teeth yet?" The fox threw his arms up in the universal signal of I-Don't-Know. A decision he immediately regretted as he slammed his hands back down on his ears again.

"Er..." Kuronue glanced down at the wide open little mouth, if she did have a few teeth already, he didn't want to stick his finger in there. He knew they'd be sharp enough to draw blood and he hesitated for several moments before Kurama got annoyed and stomped over.

"Oh for Inari's sake I'll check myself!" He made to check as gently as he could then yelped, pulling back and sticking his now bleeding finger in his own mouth, glaring at the infant.

Kitten had some fangs all right.

"So...I'll take that as a yes, she has a few sharp, sharp little teeth!" Kuronue did his best not to totally bust up laughing.

Kurama turned his glare onto his partner.

"Ah..heh...?" Kuronue busied himself, finding a relatively clean rag, soaking it in water and then giving it to the baby. Thankfully this worked to quiet her down, she could chew on it and get water at the same time. He watched closely to make sure she didn't choke on it and then turned back to Kurama. "So... okay...semi-solid maybe? Like...um...applesauce, or fruit puree?"

"Hmph..." Kurama huffed, checking his finger one last time. "She's scrappy...yeah, puree will work for now, I'll see if I can get some milk somewhere, smugglers will grab anything if you pay them enough coin." He went thoughtful for a moment. "...I think I know a plant or two that should provide supplemental nutrition."

" Plant milk?"

" The way I said it sounded much better."

"The way you said it sounded way more complicated than it needed to be, you mean."

Kurama sighed, maybe he'd teach the little one his superior vocabulary so he'd finally be able to have a complex conversation with someone. With the baby occupied and a decision made, the two men set about pulverizing some fruit they had stashed in the kitchen area. It was a good thing they did too, that stuff was about to turn to much on its own in a few days.

What with the whole lack of anything made for a child issue, Kuronue sat her on his lap while he sat next to a table with the bowl of mush on it. He had no idea what he was doing but armed with a spoon and his wits, he valiantly attempted to feed the baby. He was partially successful, she got hold of the spoon on three separate occasions where she promptly launched the sweet mush right back in his face.

She giggled every. Single. Time.

Kurama was incredibly amused by watching this until Kurone himself launched a spoonful of puree, hitting the fox right between the eyes. "Oye!"

"Serves you right, next time YOU feed her." Kuronue sniped at him before turning serious. "So... what did you learn from that blanket?" Surprisingly the question wasn't sarcastic or mocking, he was genuinely curious.

"What did you learn from the abnormally skinny, bruised baby?" Kurama responded shortly before sighing. " I think we both figured out the same thing. Illegitimate and female, that's two strikes against her in most areas. I'd bet anything her mother died either in childbirth or shortly after, because the name on the blanket is Avaria."

"Oooooh..." Kuronue hissed sympathetic like. "Oh, that's cold...We gonna keep it? I mean she's a baby, we could easily change it. She'd never know."

" Mmm..." The fox pursed his lips and toyed with a few locks of hair idly, thinking. "No, we'll keep it. One day we'll tell her, and on that day, she can decide on what to do. We can't hide the only clues she'll ever have if she ever wants to pursue her biological family. Until then/..."

Kuronue's serious look turned into a very nasty kind of smile as Kurama paused for effect.

" Until then... We'll teach her every ruthless, merciless, scrappy survival trick we know."

Avaria giggled and clapped as if she knew what they were talking about and whole heartedly approved. It wasn't exactly a far-fetched idea; both the demon males could tell there was some kind of keen intelligence hiding in those bright eyes. They didn't know how long she'd been in that ravine but she hadn't survived it by only wailing her head off.

"So..." Kuronue began again as she went quiet and his nose twitched.

"What...Oh...Oh!" Kurama held a hand over his nose as the result of her finally getting food and water became clear." That is...that is a _smell."_

 _"_ yeah well..." Kuronue stood and handed her to Kurama, dashing away before Kurama could react. " I fed her, you change her!"

"Ah...she's sticky to..." Kurama gave the child a disgusted look which was only met with complete innocence. "Kuronue!"

" Just do it! Don't want her getting a rash now do we!" Came the all to amused reply from the other room.

" A what...Can you really get a rash if I don't? Bloody hell, best not tyo risk it." Kurama muttered, looking for something he could use as a new diaper, it's not like they had cloths or rags stashed around for this kind of thing! " I don't have...Oh, well look at that..." He grinned, yanking one of Kuronue's white waist wraps out from under a cushion. He ripped it into what he thought were good sized pieces.

Then he held his breath...And went for it.

"OH Good gods how does such a tiny thing create such a big smell?!"

***Chapter Fin***

AN: Having been a babysitter since about the age of 8 and having changed a LOT of diapers in my time...I can attest that this is quite true. I have beenb amazed more than once by the smells that come out such tiny little humans. I can also attest that usually, the first time you change a diaper is terrifying, especially a poopy one. Well I hope you guys liked it! Like I said, this is a prequel, therefore as much as I'd like to ONLY have humorous things, it's also explaining some things from the original story. Like her name and how she got it.

THANK YOU FOR READING! If you enjoy it please let me know!


	3. On How to Lose a Toddler in Ten Seconds

**Untold History: The Good Ole' Days**

 **AN:** I have a semi-permanent muscle strain due to the stress of family drama. Those of you who read the first Untold History knows that some of the darker chapters are inspired by the death of late sister. I promise things won't get so dark here, but just know if my update schedule goes weird, it's because I'm juggling that, and work and home life. Thank you all for hanging on!

To the one fave and follower, thank you so much!

Disclaimer: I own Avaria, and that's it. Nothing else. I am simply borrowing the other characters.

Chapter 3: On How to Lose a Toddler in Ten Seconds

"Avaria...let go of my leg." Youko Kurama, ruthless, cunning, legendary... was attempting to pick things up so a toddler wouldn't hurt herself while resisting the temptation to physically shake her off his calf where she clung with her sharp little nails. Six months down the line and she had proven to be a little speed demon when she crawled so when she finally stood and took her first wobbly steps the boys had mixed feelings. Kuronue had been excited, it was a milestone. It was also a sign that the first six months of her life hadn't done any permanent developmental damage, which was also exciting.

Fine, so it was mostly Kurama who had mixed feelings.

It also meant she was about to become a lot more mobile. It meant she would soon be running around and getting into trouble. Neither one of them was looking forward to chasing her around and having to keep things on even higher shelves. There was also one other dilemma, they'd never taken her anywhere public as of yet and didn't know how she'd react.

Or if anyone was looking for her.

For now, though Kurama needed her to not be clinging to his leg. He was trying to clean and cleaning was... Well it could be going better. But now, six months into having the kitten around it could have also gone worse. She could have accidentally been killed or maimed by now but she was still alive and in one piece. There had been a few close calls of course, how could there not be? There was her almost getting eaten by one of the wild plants outside the first safe spot, the first time they realized how fast she could crawl. She'd tried on five different occasions to eat random things off the floor and had nearly been crushed by falling things in Kuronues room twice.

And though he was loath to admit it...He cared enough to overhaul his own spaces.

Kurama sighed, twisting his long silver hair up into a tight ponytail a top his head, much like Kuronue usually wore. Before Avaria he didn't think keeping his hair up was worth the trouble but now? It was the only way to keep her little claws from practically yanking the silver strands out of his head. She grabbed everything she could possibly reach, at every possible opportunity.

Then tried to eat most of it.

"Hey! No! That is NOT food!" Kuronue yelped, quickly snatching a chunk of something metal, maybe a buckle or a piece of chain, out of her tiny hands as she attempted to chew on it. Kurama blinked, not even sure when she'd let go of his pants. She was also teething which made everything chewable in her mind. When she smiled she looked hilarious, she was still missing a top canine tooth and a few bottoms.

"NO!" She screeched out her favorite word so far.

"No." Kuronue said right back to her, putting the metallic choking hazard up high. " We don't eat metal."

"No!" She reached up for it, pouting the entire time. Kuronue sighed and picked her up instead.

"I think she's just hungry again..." He sighed, she had a very healthy appetite which was both good and not so good.

"Mm..." Kurama made a non-committal noise, tossing trash into the waiting maw of a plant in the corner as he continued to try and clean up the floor. If only that baby was as easy to keep fed. This wasn't the same safe house they'd been in when they'd first found her. They had a good dozen set up all over their extended territory and not a single one was child friendly. "We haven't done a food run for this one in months."

"Damn..." Kuronue sighed again. "Nearest town is a few miles away."

"Does that town even have a market?" Kurama wondered, it had been a while and he couldn't remember.

"Well it's one of the bigger ones, it should at least have an outdoor market...Maybe we can pick this little one up some clothes too." He bounced the almost toddler on his hip and she grinned, showing all 3 of her sharp little canines. "Can't keep wrapping her up in our old rags now can we!"

"Well we can until she grows too big for them but I suppose you're right. She needs her own clothing." Kurama was forced to agree.

"And maybe a toy or something too, gotta keep her occupied right? Would you like that Avaria?" Kuronue turned his deep blue gaze towards the kitten.

"Yeah!" She clapped, using her other favorite word. Her vocabulary was actually quite vast for one so young but that same young age proved a hindrance when it came to actually pronouncing anything over two syllables. Even some of those words were difficult and full sentences were even harder. After a moment though her expression changed and she pouted again. "Food?"

Kurama chuckled. "Yes, we'll have food soon. And big brother Kuronue is going to carry you too!"

"The whole time?" Kuronue blinked at him, he'd learned a while back that it wasn't easy to constantly carry a growing baby. He'd been forced to carry her from the last safe house to this one and that wasn't exactly a short trip. Although the distance from the safe house to the town was definitely less than from safe house to safe house.

"No, down!" She screeched again. Her guardians blinked at each other and Kuronue set her on her still wobbly little legs.

"Huh...we should probably get her shoes then too huh?"

" Gee Kuronue...I don't know... _should_ we get the toddler shoes now that she knows how to walk?"

"...was the sarcasm necessary?"

"Yes."

The market was a loud, bustling, somewhat odd smelling, crowded boulevard. If you've ever been to a really busy farmers market, (That also had barn animals.) then you might have an idea of what it's like. Demons of all shapes, sized and species had stalls set up hawking all kinds of things from all kinds of places. The smell of fresh (and not so fresh) meat and fruit mixed with the scents of incense and the sounds of people yelling and haggling.

Kuronue loved it.

Kurama hated it.

Avaria...had no idea what to think about it.

They'd set her on her feet reluctantly at the edge of the market. Kuronue had indeed carried her into the town, there was no way she'd be able to match their speed on her own. Well, not yet but judging by her progress, soon, very soon. Currently she stood between her two guardians, the top of her messy mop of rust colored hair barely reaching the bottom of Kuronue's knee. Her little ears twitched every which way, half lowering and half perking in a constant struggle of being excited and scared while her tail swung behind her.

"Avaria you stay close to us now." Kurama murmured, bending slightly to pat her head for a moment in a rare show of affection. Kuronue may be smitten with the kitten but the fox wasn't as easily swayed. He was more than willing to watch her and keep her from dying but he hadn't really warmed up to her yet. Diaper duty may have been a factor in this, somehow Kuronue always seemed to be busy or out of the room when she needed to be changed.

"Okay Kama." She replied, still unable to actually pronounce his whole name.

Kuronue snickered until Kurama shot him a look. "I'd be quiet if I were you _Ku-ne"_

 _"_ You be quiet..." The bat muttered.

Satisfied with the chastising of his partner he moved along to the different stalls. It didn't take him long to get enough supplies to last them a few weeks. Avaria followed her guardians for a few minutes but quickly became distracted by everything and anything else there was. A particularly shiny set of clockwork things several stalls down caught her eye and without much thought she ran right for it.

" Avaria why don't we try and find you some..."Kuronue began before realizing she wasn't there. "Shit...Shit!" He cursed, turning in a circle trying to catch a glimpse of her. He cursed again at how tiny she still was, and at how all the scents here made it far too hard to single her own out. He didn't want to tell Kurama who was haggling over some dehydrated meat, he'd never live it down. "Gods damned little...Ugh...If I were a toddler where would I go?"

Took him all of three seconds to run for the nearest stall with shiny objects.

It took him another several moments before stumbling upon the stall she was at. She was absolutely awed by a clockwork bird, watching the gears work and the wings flap. He sagged in relief and then snatched her up into his arms, not sure how to handle the other emotions. "Avaria! Don't you EVER run off like that again!"

"Ah!" She yelped at the sudden, jarring motion and blinked at him, eyes wide. She'd never actually been in trouble before, it was new and scary, her ears flattened against her skull, her tail stilling.

"Don't run off again...it's not safe." Kuronue muttered, turning on his heel with her and smacking right into Kurama's chest.

The fox leveled his golden stare down onto the bat and the kitten in his arms. He noted the flattened ears and her wide, watery eyes. Quickly placing that alongside Kuronues less then pleasant expression, the hard edge to his eyes and the tight grip he had on the baby, he came to one of his usual insightful conclusions. "Let me guess...she ran off?"

"Yes." Kuronue replied curtly.

The fox sighed, not at all surprised. "Well... she's a kitten, an extremely young one, we should have kept a better eye on her. Now let's go get her some clothing so we can get the hell out of here, the crowds getting a little too heavy for my tastes."

"Oh, don't worry, I am never letting her out of my sight again."

"You're over-reacting."

"She could have been grabbed or hurt!"

"Over-reacting."

"Just shut up..." Kuronue growled, and Avaria snuggled against him, ears still flat. One day Kurama would learn how it felt.

It took a lot less time to get clothing for their little ward then they thought. They were only getting basic things, nothing fancy so there was no special ordering. The shoes however took a little extra time, her feet had to be measured and then the shoes actually cobbled together right there. The material was meant to stretch as her feet grew, it was an extra expense that they felt was worth it. By the time they were all done, Kuronue had calmed down and Avaria had passed out on his shoulder.

"...Where is she sleeping tonight?" Kuronue whispered, staring around the living area. They'd only arrived at the place that morning. "My room's a mess. I'd be afraid to put her down in there..."

"Well the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem."

"I'm being serious."

"So am I."

They had a quick stare down before Kurama held out his arms. "Give her to me, I'll set her up in mine. I promise, there is nothing poisonous or baby-eating in there. That I know of."

"Better not be...one scare was more than enough today." The bat reluctantly handed her over. Kurama rolled his eyes and walked away with her.

True to his word, mostly, he made a nice little mossy space for her, covering her with the bright green blanket they'd found her in. She seemed to be sleeping soundly so he watched her for a few moments then left the room.

And promptly tripped over a pile of garbage that hadn't been there before.

"...Damn it Kuronue!"

***Chapter Fin***

If you've ever had the experience of not being able to find the kid you're looking after, you know how Kuronue feels. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm really just having fun here. Kuronue has been one of my favorite characters despite the fact that he barely even gets acknowledged except for the movie. The bat needs more love people...Thanks for reading!


	4. On Baby's First Near Death Experience

**Untold History: The Good Ole' Days**

Disclaimer: I own Avaria, I may make up some demon plants but in general I do not own Yu YU Hakusho, nor the characters I am borrowing.

AN: I don't know if this is a trigger for anyone but just in case I feel the need to state: There is some scary stuff involving poisonous plants in this chapter. I also wish to point out that this is not a slash fic, Kuronue and Kurama are not lovers, they are brothers. I know some references may be confusing because of the way everything gets sexualzied these days but everything is platonic, not romantic, thank you!

Chapter 4: On Baby's First Official Near Death Experience

It had been almost two years now. Two years since Kuronue had grabbed an abandoned baby out of a ravine. Two years since the kitten, as they both tended to refer to her these days had come into their care. Well...Kuronue's care mostly, Kurama was still unsure of his feelings towards her, mostly because he'd never considered children before. Thievery had been more than enough of a thrill for him and there was never any shortage of lovers ready and willing when he was in the mood for it. But much like Kuronue, he'd never really been interested in settling down with a mate even if only long enough to ensure an heir to his legacy.

"Just seems like way too much trouble to me..." Kuronue had said one night, a hundred or so years back. Kurama had nodded in complete agreement. He'd felt exactly the same about it then but now he wasn't so sure.

Kuronue hadn't been sure either, not that he'd admit it to the fox. He'd just been curious about the bundle. You'd be surprised the things people threw into ditches around here. The ravine always flooded during rainstorms too which had a habit of stirring up the mud and silt which could reveal hidden treasures. It was only when he'd landed right next to it that she'd made a sound, like she knew he wasn't a threat.

Then he'd seen those eyes.

He hadn't thought, he'd just grabbed her and moved along.

Frankly he was proud of himself now, two years later. He was proud of Kurama too of course, neither of them had accidentally killed or maimed her. She hadn't run off and gotten kidnapped or lost forever, which was also an accomplishment. He did wish Kurama would take a slightly less distant interest in her even if she was aging a little more slowly then they'd expected. Kid was whip smart even if she was barely the equivalent of a two-year old right now.

Shit...did that mean the terrible twos were going to last even longer?

To humans, Avaria's growth would have seemed slightly stunted. Then again humans have incredibly short lives compared to demons. That being said, even different species of demon can have differing rates of growth and maturation. Which when it comes down to it gave the demonic duo a bit of a problem. She LOOKED most definitely like her blood was feline, she had the black ears and the tail, her little nails were more like claws, and her little teeth were nice and sharp. It had taken another two months but her final canine tooth had finally come in, making her little grins both more adorable and more feral looking.

The issue was her scent.

Feline blood has a distinct edge to it, much like any other species has its own base smell. She smelled like a feline but that wasn't the only base scent. There was something else there and Kurama was convinced that it was this other base that the odd ethereal type of scent was coming from. This made her a half-breed, but what the other half was he had no idea. He also had no idea which feline species her feline half belonged too, and it may still be some time before any type of discerning markings reared up. Spots, stripes, a mixture, hell she could end up developing wings for all either of them knew.

He studied the little thing as she crouched down and her little butt wiggled as she prepared to pounce on an insect. Staying quiet, he watched her little shoulders move side to side under the purple fabric of her clothes, readying for the push off, and her feral little grin blazed across her face. Kuronue was right of course, she was adorable...a fact they both planned on exploiting once they taught her the basics of being a diversion.

A fact she'd be using to exploit them too one day.

"Rawr!" she pounced! It was... less then graceful to say the least. She overshot the bug by about six inches and landed face first in the dirt, tucking into a roll like Kuronue had taught her to. The insect took its second chance at life seriously and started buzzing away quickly but as soon as Avaria had sprung back to her feet she was after it like a shot.

" Distraction!" Kuronue screamed and tackled Kurama from the side, taking full advantage of this rarity. Kurama was almost never un-aware of his surroundings like he was watching the kitten play so how could he not?

"Oof!" Kurama hit the ground hard, right side first then tried to roll but Kuronue was to quick, and sat on his chest, grinning. Kurama was less then pleased, even a bit embarrassed to have been caught so off-guard. He shoved Kuronue with both hands, right in the center of the bats chest and reversed their positions easily. "Don't get cocky fly-boy."

Kuronue had flared out his wings so as not to crush then when he landed, the ends folding upwards around his shoulders. Kurama eyed them warily and he was right too because within seconds Kuronue had thrust his right shoulder out, giving the wings tip enough momentum to smack Kurama right in the face. The fox sputtered then rolled off his partner with a small yelp of surprise. The edges were sharp and that damn thing had nearly taken out one of his eyes!

"RAWR!" Suddenly a tiny rusty/purple/pale blur shot through the air and landed directly on top of Kurama's silver head. Avaria had totally just launched her very first sneak attack onto them. As successful as her landing had been, Kurama felt the prick and pull of tiny claws trying and failing to keep their grip on his scalp, or his hair, whatever would keep her from falling. He winced and cupped his hands just about level with his own collarbone as she fell right into them, butt landing squarely in his open, waiting palms as she stared wide eyed at his face. "….Mew?"

Kuronue watched this scene unfold in stunned silence, his eyes nearly as wide as the child's. First of all, he was incredibly proud of her sneak attack landing. Secondly, he was proud she'd taken the initiative to launch said sneak attack. That being the case, he was also watching Kurama's reaction curiously, the fox had snarled at her more than once the past few years for far less serious infractions. Kurama was totally the "strict parent" of the two of them which made his habit of distance even funnier.

Kurama blinked at the wide orange eyes he was now face to face with, shaking his head to try and dispel some silver hair from out of his face. She'd ended up pulling half his damn hair forward as she'd slid off his head, hell he was lucky she hadn't landed ON his face, that might've hurt a lot worse. Slowly, he set her down between Kuronue and himself, and leaned back a bit on his hands.

Avaria sat stock still between them, totally confused. She WAS keenly intelligent, and she was a quick study. Much like how Kuronue was warily watching Kurama, so was she. She tilted her head to the side, blinking as she heard the beginnings of a quiet chuckle. Kurama's amusement started out small and quiet with a few chuckles. Soon the chuckles had turned into sniggering and finally...

Finally Youko Kurama burst out into peals of deep laughter. His shoulders shook as he leaned back more on his hands, sitting in the dirt. Once he'd begun, Kuronue couldn't help but join in as well, his own laughter almost harmonizing with the foxes. After a few moments of watching them both shake with amusement partially at her expense she grinned her little feral grin.

High pitched giggles made their three-part harmony complete.

***A few months later***

Kurama was still fairly distant. Avaria had taken to following him around whichever safe house they'd moved onto every chance she got. Kuronue had a sneaking suspicion part of it was because she was absolutely obsessed with his hair. Both her guardians had long, thick hair and honestly? So, did she.

"Avaria hold still!" Kuronue griped as the tiny tot pouted and squirmed in his lap. Trying to brush her hair was like trying to run a comb through a fisherman's net. The rusty red/brown mass of tangled waves was so thick he sometimes wondered if it might be easier to just chop it all off and be done with it. It wasn't made any easier by the fact that he had to navigate the brush around her ears carefully too, snagging them wasn't a good idea. Then he remembered the tantrum she'd thrown the first time they had attempted to cut it.

He shuddered. Screw that, screw that so hard.

" Ooooooow" was her only reply. To her it felt like he was trying to pull her hair right out of her head. She threw a pleading look towards Kurama who was looking through an ancient tome they'd nabbed a few weeks back.

"Oh, don't look at me...I'm not saving you from the evil hair brush." He drawled without even looking up at her. He could practically hear it when she slumped and grumbled quietly.

Finally, after what felt like hours but was only about fifteen minutes, Kuronue let her down. She immediately ran for her nearest toy chest. Every safe house now had one located in the common room, something they never thought would ever happen. She pulled out the latest puzzle Kurama had acquired for her and plopped down on the floor to put it together.

Occasionally she shot dirty looks at the both of them.

"Damn it..." Kuronue sighed, taking a seat next to the fox.

"What now...Did her hair break another brush?" Kurama was joking.

" Yeah." Kuronue was not.

"...Wait...seriously? That brush was guaranteed to last a lifetime!" Kurama was stunned, the damn thing was made of copper plated bone!

"Well next time we need to ask which species that lifetime is for." The bat grumbled, showing his partner the snapped in half remains of the brush.

Kurama eyed the brush, then the kitten giving them both an adorable version of the stink eye. " From now on we're braiding her hair at night and keeping it up during the day. I'm seriously sick of going through this constant battle, it's like her hair has a mind of its own!"

"Agreed." Kurone nodded and tossed the brush into the nearest corner where it got snapped up by one of Kurama's plants. "Hey, take her with you when you go plant hunting this time huh? She wants to learn."

Kurama glanced back at her again thoughtfully. Her eyes were focused intently on the pieces of the three-dimensional puzzle but her little ears were twitched in their direction. The little one was listening quite intently to them. "I suppose if you insist..."

"I do. You can't handle her for an hour or two, it won't kill you."

"Yes, but it might kill _her._ "

"Not if you do your job as her guardian it won't."

Kurama sighed and stood up. Avaria's ears twitched again as he moved around the room gathering up a few items he'd need for the outing. Bright orange eyes following his every move out of their corners. She was very observant for a toddler; her first lesson had been to always be aware of her surroundings and she was getting good at it. Kurama felt a keen sense of pride watching her, watch him.

"If you want to come with me you have two minutes to slip on your shoes." At her obvious look of getting-ready-to-argue he cut her off before she could start. " ONE attempt at arguing and I will leave you behind."

At his stern look and cold tone, she pouted but remained stoically quiet. She stood and scuffed her bare feet on the floor for about a minute before quickly stepping into her shoes. She absolutely hated wearing shoes, almost as much as she hated anything resembling a dress. It wasn't that they pinched her feet, or squeezed her toes because hey, her big brothers had paid extra for that special be-spelled material that would grow with her. She didn't like her feet being cooped up in them, she liked feeling grass and dirt and mud between her sharp nailed toes.

Shoes sucked.

Youko Kurama left the house and the clearing, he glanced back occasionally to make sure the kitten was following. He didn't know why Kuronue had been so adamant that he take her with. Not that he wasn't willing to teach her, he was. In fact, he was, he'd admit, a bit more doting on her then before with the puzzles and books. Kuronue would bring her other things, a doll here, coloring and drawing items there, even one of those clockwork birds she'd been so enthralled by that first trip to a market. (The bat had felt bad for scaring her so he'd gone back the next day. The sentimental idiot.)

"Kama ni-san!" She huffed several feet behind him. The fox was a giant at 7 feet compared to her tiny barely 2 and a half. She barely reached his knee's right now so her stride compared to his was pretty much non-existent.

"Better hurry or I may just leave you behiiiiiiind." He called back to her, he was joking of course but she didn't know that. A consequence of his general distant demenour, she took everything he said very seriously.

"No!" She yelped, trying to run faster to catch up to him. She tripped over quite a few roots and rocks in the underbrush so by the time Kurama finally stopped walking, she didn't even notice. With a ThUNK she collided with the back of his legs and landed on her butt, pouting and dirty. Kurama sniffed then glanced down at her in mild concern, her knees were scraped up and bleeding just a tiny bit.

Reaching down he gently pulled her back onto her feet. "Up we get now. You're a tough little thing, you'll be fine. Let's get started hm?"

"Yeah!" She puffed out her little chest, like she'd seen Kuronue do when he was trying to act confident. "Let's go!"

" Good girl." Kurama chuckled and preceded to point out several different plants. Mostly he had her hold the bags he'd brought open so he could gather seeds, berries, leaves, stems, roots etc. Sure, he could grow them himself but why waste the energy when he could gather them up too, He'd planted most of these babies himself so they gladly gave up whatever he asked of them.

He got deep into a thicket of thorny bushes covered in deep purple berries, a demonic version of hemlock, deeply poisonous to anyone foolish enough to eat it, absolutely lethal to anything less than D-Class if not treated within 24 hours. But that was only if ingested, dried and powdered the berries and the roots made a highly potent knock-out powder. These little babies were the last things on his mental list.

Climbing his way out of the thicket, he tossed the handful of berries into the bag the little one was holding open, careful not to get a single drop of juice on his skin. "Avaria these are very poisonous, do not eat them. In fact, don't touch them, all right?" He was very clear and concise as he spoke to her.

"Yes!" She was very focused.

Kurama patted her head fondly and gathered up the rest of the bags. He figured she'd be okay simply carrying a closed pouch of, you know...highly potent, poisonous fruit. Cause trusting a clumsy toddler with poisonous fruit is always a good idea? Feeling satisfied with the situation and the number of things they'd gathered, he began walking back towards the safe house, Avaria once again stuck lagging behind him.

Big mistake.

"KURONUE!" Kurama burst into the safe house in utter panic. Kuronue had never seen him like this before, his eyes were wide and wild and his skin was flushed with the heat and sweat of deep worry. It was then Kuronue realized he was carrying Avaria, who was unconscious and wheezing. The front of her yukata was also absolutely covered in dark purple stains, and Kuronue knew that smell.

"How did she get Hemlock berries on her?" He leapt out of his chair, rushing over. "You have the antidote for these don't you?" He carefully took her, grabbing a blanket to keep the juice from his own skin.

"I... I don't know!" Kurama had never felt like this before, he was absolutely terrified. His usually sharp, steel trap of a mind couldn't string two thoughts together long enough to remember if this particular hide out had the antidote or not. It coupled with another feeling he wasn't used to...Guilt.

Oh, gods what had he let happen... she was a CHILD.

She was THEIR child.

She was HIS child.

She was his.

Finally, those feelings he had denied for over two years clicked into place.

"Well go look!" Kuronue growled at him, nabbing a pair of gloves from a drawer and pulling her soiled clothing off of her, the longer the juice was on her skin the worse the damage, he could already see the blotchy rash crawling across her little chest like dark purple veins. He could feel the fever as it came over her, doing his best to get every ounce of juice off her skin before getting her into a cool bath. "Hurry it up Kurama!"

Crashes and thunks could be heard from the plant lab as Kurama had come to call it. The silver fox cursed, shoving more jars aside. He held up the empty vial with the berry label on it, staring at it hard as if doing that would magically fill it up again. It takes a week to extract and ferment an antidote from the fresh berries...and all his fresh berries had been crushed when Avaria had tripped and landed on the burlap pouch.

The pouch he'd let her carry.

While he purposefully strode ahead of her.

"Kuraama!" Kuronue's scream pulled him out of his fog of guilt and fear and he rushed to the location of his voice.

He winced. Avaria was held in Kuronue's arms in the cool water and she didn't look good. The skin stained by the berries was a bruise-shade of purple and little veins could be seen spreading out from it across her skin. That skin was a sickly kind of pale now, and the little girl could be heard whimpering.

It would start with the fever, that would go on for hours and then it would begin to hit her nervous system until finally she suffocated from the seizing of her lungs. But only if she didn't get the antidote, they had 22 hours.

"Give her to me." Kurama demanded, stripping himself down. Believe it or not but Kuronue would be faster. " The town some ways back? The apothecary there has a supply because the thickets are so prevalent in the area. You have 22 hours to get the damn stuff and come back!"

Kuronue didn't even question Kurama as they switched places, watching him cradle the baby. She was so tiny, especially held in the fox's arms. The black bat nodded and took off, barely taking the time to pull some pants on as he booked it out the door and took off into the afternoon skies. It would be close, very close.

Kurama cradled the whimpering toddler gently as he tried to keep most of her overheated body in the cool water.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...Ni-san has you, you'll be fine..."

*** Chapter Fiu***

Well...it can't ALL be fun and games in the demon world now can it. Let's face it, she was bound to get into something, eventually right?

Exactly.

Reveiws would be highly appreciated. Thank you for reading!


	5. On The Conception of Ni-Ni

**Untold History: The Good Ole' Day**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or it's characters etc. I only own Avaria and maybe a few demonic plant versions of things, since as far as I am aware of Have made most of them up.

AN: This may be a prequel to Untold History, and its subsequent sequel that will be coming soon but the truth is this is a separate story. You don't have to read this one in connection with the others, but it helps. And it's better then a couple short flashbacks, right? Reviews would be highly appreciated. Thanks!

Chapter 5: On The Conception of Ni-Ni

Kuronue flew like… well a bat out of hell. If he'd been going at a less urgent, leisurely pace it would take three days to reach the village called Locknara. It was so named because while those damned thickets were so rare everywhere else, in this valley they were all over the place. Why would anyone choose to settle in a place covered in deadly berries? Well… safety for one thing, the locals knew all the places that were safe, they knew what the plants looked like and they were often the only ones who could guide you safely through the only two passes in in and out of the valley.

Which until this moment made it a perfect place to have a safe house.

Now Kuronue highly regretted suggesting this place. He flew, speeding through the skies as fast as he could go. He was determined to turn a 3-day journey into a 3 hour one. Avaria would NOT be dying today, not if he could help it. She was in safe hands with Kurama, who hopefully would calm down enough to come up with something that could at least slow the poison from spreading.

There was a reason they'd both been so careful about the juice. Ingesting it was of course the most potent way to die from the stuff but the juice was the poisonous part. On demons like he and his partner it would cause a severe rash, and perhaps a fever, maybe even some nausea for a day or two. On a far more fragile creature like a child it was nearly as bad as actually ingesting the stuff. There was no telling if she'd accidently gotten any in her mouth either, even a single drop could cause untold harm left untreated.

"Agh!" he screamed, pushing his wings even harder than before.

Their child was not going to die like this.

*** Meanwhile***

Avaria was wailing in a way she hadn't done in over a year. The purple, veiny rash felt like she was being burned with acid wherever it had spread. The fever was still blaring, her whole body felt like it was being slowly roasted from the inside. Kurama had wrapped a cooling compress around her head but it did little relieve the pain in the rest of her body. Every inch of her was covered in burning sweat, even the fuzzy fur of her madly twitching ears was damp.

It broke the foxes proverbial heart to witness this as he tried to work out some type of potion to ease the pain and the fever. Dealing with the effects of poison could be difficult in that respect, much like a chemistry experiment sometimes you don't know how one thing will react with another. As he waited impatiently for a press to squeeze the gel-like innards of a cactus-like plant out, he cradled her in one arm. He was absolutely terrified still but had calmed enough to think logically again. With that logic came a new wash of guilt at the way he'd shrugged off his responsibility to watch out for her.

Mentally he smacked himself. Priorities Kurama, you can wallow in your guilt later! Right now you have a baby to keep alive.

"Shhh…I know it hurts Kitten, I'll make it better soon…Ni-sans got you…. I've got you, I swear I've got you..." He muttered to her, tone as quiet and soothing as he could possibly make it. He snagged a chunk of Feverfew bark on a nail and dropped it whole into the green slime-like cactus gel, watching it dissolve slowly. A little concentrated Aloe extract and he mixed it all together as fast as he could, wrinkling his nose at the slight antiseptic smell wafting off of it. He shot a quick jolt of his own energy into it to jumpstart the healing properties, hoping this would work as well as his theory said it would.

He covered every inch of that revolting rash with the sticky goop. Within a few hours the rash had spread around her right side onto her back like a spider web of dark threads. As he worked, gently, carefully, making sure he got every tiny thread he could find her wailing slowly calmed. The wails faded into sobs, which faded into hiccups and far less frequent whimpering groans. The pitiful mewls that replaced the wailing was almost as heartbreaking but Kurama bore it.

He wasn't going to let her die.

"Blargh!" Avaria was bent over a wooden bucket, and she was throwing up like she'd never thrown up before.

Kuronue had made the trip there and back within ten hours. He had almost destroyed the muscles in his back and shoulders, his face, arms, and even wings were completely windburned. He'd scared the Hells bells out of half the people as he'd crash landed in the middle of a small-town square, screamed at someone to direct him to the apothecary and run through the streets. The look on the pharmacist's face had been priceless, too bad the bat had been too hurried and harried to enjoy it.

" Hemlock! Antidote! NOW!" He'd screamed in the old demon's face, being met with wide eyes and a yelp.

" ...right!" The old man scrambled to hand Kuronue the vials, not even blinking when a pouch full of coins landed in his hands. The entire transaction lasted five minutes, but the old man would never forget it.

"Kurama! I got it! " Kuronue slid into the hideout like he was sliding into Homeplate and held up the vial.

"Oh, thank the gods..." Kurama let out a deep exhale as he stood and grabbed it from the bat. He'd been able to stop the pain and the fever but the rash had continued to spread, if far more slowly than before. " Kitten...little one...I need you to drink this..."

"Wha...?" She blinked up at him, laid flat on a wet cloth to keep her cool. Kuronue flinched at the sight, the dark veins, the almost translucent, sweat covered skin...and her eyes. They were blood shot and red rimmed from the wailing and the pain. A child should not look like they're so close to death...it was just wrong.

"I got her...hold on." Kuronue knelt and gently hefted her up into a semi-sitting position and Kurama wasted no time tipping half the vial into her mouth. The little girl sputtered and choked for a half a second on the horribly bitter liquid but swallowed most of it.

Which brings us back to where we left off.

"Oooow..." Avaria was throwing up like she'd never thrown up before. She collapsed back into her bat guardian's arms and panted, not protesting when her other brother wiped her face down. This sucked, she thought to herself, feeling her tummy churn even though she had nothing left in there to toss up.

She leaned back further, trying hard not look at or smell the contents of the bucket, the poison/bile mixture burned like fire on the way out but at least it WAS out. She whimpered for the thousandth time within the last 24 hours of her short life. Kuronue ran his fingers through her hair, soothing her as best he could. " Shh...I think that's it..."

"I think you're right..." Kurama knelt by them, checking the kitten over closely. "The rash is receding."

The relief in his voice was almost a tangible thing. Neither one of them ever wanted to repeat the events of the last day, EVER. Kuronue was so sore he could barely stretch his wings out, though it didn't stop him from hugging the little girl tightly every chance he got since he'd returned. Kurama had been almost reluctant to allow it, which didn't make the bat mad. On the contrary, it made him happy to finally see the fox act like her brother instead of her babysitter.

But seriously...Never. Again.

They got her washed up and into fresh, not-puked on clothing, the exhausted child barely protesting at all. This proved to them both how exhausted she must be, maybe even more than they were. Kuronue finally managed to get her to let go of him and settled her in her little pillow nest. By now she had a room in at least 3 of the hideouts, but after what had happened she wasn't keen on being alone. So, they decided to make her something so she never would be.

"You want to make her a... doll?" Gold eyes blinked curiously.

" Yeah...a special one. It's going to look like us, it'll be a comfort item for her, you know?" Indigo eyes glanced away for a moment, embarrassed.

"Kuronue she has dolls."

"I know but this one...it's going to be a mix of us."

"...Hm...If you say so." Kurama was still trying to play it cool but his friend saw the softness that took over his eyes. " Yes, I'll see what I can find for the eyes."

It didn't take long to gather up the necessary supplies, most of which just ended up being scraps of their own old clothing. The eyes however were a bit more difficult. They didn't just want to use any old random bits and bobs, not for something this special. Nodding to Kuronue, the fox ran a little deeper into the hideout and dug through a room filled to the brim with all sorts of treasures they'd stolen over the years.

"Aha!" Eventually, the fox managed to grab a beautiful piece of molded amber and a tumbled amethyst stone. These would be perfect, absolutely perfect as the eyes of the toy. He made his way back to the common room and together, he and his partner worked for hours to turn scraps of fabric and stuffing into what would eventually become Avaria's life-line years and years down the line.

In the morning they presented her with the toy. Its base tone was white, the "hair" was black fabric, the clothing was a black vest, silver cuffs and silver pants with black shoes. The toys nose and mouth were sown on in a fun grin, and little silver foxlike ears poked up out of his head. The eyes were the best part, the two gems sparkling up at her, one representing Kurama and one Kuronue.

"Eee!" She squealed in what they could only describe as joy, hugging the blush toy to her chest tightly. It even smelled like her brothers!

"I think she likes it." Kuronue nudged his buddy lightly in the shoulder.

"I think so too." Kurama smiled, a sight to behold and patted Avaria's head to get her attention. " So, what are you going to name him hm?"

"Hm..." She stared down at the toy, then up at her brothers. This process repeated several times before her little face lit up. "Ni-Ni!"

Thus Ni-Ni was born.

One month later and little Avaria was fully recovered and twice as strong for it. Ni-Ni had been a decided help in that aspect, she slept a lot more peacefully then they expected when she was curled around him. Although twice now Kuronue had gone to check on her in the middle of the night and found Kurama in his youko form curled around her protectively.

Still, the stuffed toy was never far from her, she absolutely adored it. There did remain one small reminder of her first near death experience: a little patch of pearlescent, vine like scars on the lower right side of her chest, right where the majority of the juice had been pressed against her skin the longest. It didn't faze her one little bit but it made her brothers sick with guilt every time they saw it.

Which was fairly often...

"I don't wanna bath!" The little girl screamed, zipping away from her black haired big brother. On the list of things Avaria wasn't very keen on; shoes, dresses, most clothing in general and baths were at the top of it. She sped to the other side of the shoreline from Kuronue in the time it took him to blink.

"Damn it! Avaria get your little butt over here!" He flexed his wings and took off after her.

"NO!" She stuck her tongue out at him in pure, childish defiance.

Kurama was waiting, waist deep in the lake, watching this unfold as it had a dozen times before. She was getting a lot faster, he noticed with a touch of pride. " Getting slow old man!"

"Grr...Says the one with the grey hair! You come out here and catch her then huh?" Kuronue spit back at him, barely keeping himself from face-planting as Avaria bounced away from him again.

"I don't need too." The fox spirit grinned. A few seconds later a high-pitched squeak and a 'fwump' noise proved his point. "And my hair is silver!"

"No fair!" Avaria screeched, a vine hooked around her ankle, though mysteriously a patch of soft sorrel had suddenly formed to break her fall.

Kurama laughed then, utterly smug at his own awesomeness. Kuronue didn't waste a second of Avaira's capture and scooped her up, the vine loosening easily. She squirmed and whined as he carried her to the edge of the lake then went quiet, something Kurama really should have taken notice of but he was too busy being amused by himself.

"Five...four...three...two...ONE!" Kuronue counted down quietly, shifting himself and launching Avaria right at the fox.

"WAH!"

"OOF!"

Avaria screamed and Kurama sputtered as she hit him square in the chest and the both went down HARD into the water.

This time Kuronue grinned.

***Chapter Fin***

Reviews would be appreciated. Eh we all knew I wasn't gonna kill her off but still...That would have been a horrible way to die, wouldn't it? Thanks for reading!

Quick question...I do have the first and second Chapters the Untold History sequel done...I"m just unsure of weather I should finish this one before I start that one. It's not like this one can't be read on a standalone or while that one is going on. Opinions?


	6. On Why We Can't Have Nice Things Part 1

**Untold History: The Good Ole' Days**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Yu Yu Hakusho, I own Avaria though, she's mine.

AN: As always reviews would be highly appreciated. We may start seeing more training and misheif as she gets a little bit older and realized how much she has those two wrapped around her little finger…Just saying.

This is essentially a series of chronologically correct one-shots, enjoy!

Chapter 6: On Why We Can't Have Nice Things Part 1

The first time Kurama actually allowed Avaria to sleep alongside him (Not counting him curling up in Yoko form that first... and second...and third night after babies first near-death experience that they now only referred to as the Incident.) was a learning experience. Mostly for the fox, she was a toddler, she only cared she was finally getting affectionate attention instead of distant and stern. Kuronue was out doing...well Kurama really didn't want to know because from his partners earlier attempts at speaking in metaphor around the kitten, it sounded like it involved the nearest brothel.

So no... No, Kurama really did not need to know.

It was LATE.

Kurama was TIRED.

Avaria REFUSED to stay in her own bed.

First, she wanted water, which he got for her. Then she got up complaining she was hungry, well growing demons and all that so he got her a small snack. Two more times she got up saying she wasn't tired so he tried everything he could, rocking her, stories (Her favorite were the legends about the Travelers who could go to all sorts of different worlds as easy as walking through a doorway) he even managed warm milk. He really didn't want to use floral means on one so young, it was way too easy to over-dose her since she was so damn tiny still. Though he was eyeing the top shelves with definite temptation now.

Finally, as he settled in his own room, in his own bed he heard the tell-tale patter of little padded feet as they came down the hall towards his door. He chuckled as he heard the usual squeak and thud of Avaria tripping over something (Though most likely nothing or her own tail.) catching herself and starting for his room again. Watching his doorway, he first saw the tips of those little black ears, followed by the frizzy braid of rust colored hair and finally those bright orange eyes reflecting what little light was in the room.

"I see you Avaria." He drawled, earning another little squeak and the head popping back out of frame. It took several moments before she peeked in again, "What is it you want?"

"… I wanna sleep with you, Ni-San." She hesitated, just a tiny bit. The dynamic shift in his attitude towards her was new, after all. She was little but she wasn't stupid when it came to pushing limits. Besides, she always had trouble when one of them wasn't there at night.

This was something Kurama had not actually realized before. He studied her little, weary, hopeful face as she stood fully in the doorway, Ni-Ni tucked in her arms. The little girl was keenly aware of the presences or lack thereof, of each of her brothers. She relied on them and was bonded to them, plus hey, if she was ever going to help them steal stuff she had to have some kind of sense for their energies.

The keen, intelligent, often hard gold of his eyes softened, though he sighed as if truly aggravated by having to scoot over to make room. His mossy bed was equivalent to a modern-day California king, so really...he was just being super melodramatic. " Oh fine...if it'll keep you in one place for the night. Come on."

"Yay!" She grinned and ran, nearly launching herself into the mass of deep, soft, greenery.

Kurama settled himself on his back, hands behind his head and tried to relax again. It wasn't that hard really, all Avaria did was curl up against his side, fuzzy ears soft against his chest. Having a kid in the group didn't exactly changed that much when it came to certain habits, both Kuronue and Kurama still slept either nude or practically nude, weather permitting. (That is when they were in one of the Safe Houses or an Inn of some kind, where they were far less vulnerable to...everything.) There was a slight possibility this was one of the reasons Avaria would take every opportunity to NOT wear clothing...

He snorted, thinking sarcastically to himself: Oh no... we're such bad influences...the horror...

She fell asleep almost instantly and he was soon to follow. A few hours in though he learned something he was sure Kuronue hade neglect to tell him... on purpose no doubt. He found himself with a kitten half sprawled over his chest, her feet very much by his head and her head an inch away from falling off the 5-inch-thick moss mattress. He thought this was actually hilarious until her little foot smacked him right in the jaw.

More than once.

It seemed like every time he fell back asleep her little foot was there, ready to get him!

SMACK! "OW! Ugh..." No matter how he shifted her, no matter where he made damn sure her legs were as far from his face as possible...She juist kept shifting back, completely dead asleep.

The next morning Kuronue sauntered back in, he smelled like half-washed sex. Both of them glanced at Avaria for a second as she wrinkled her little nose, she didn't actually know what the smell was, just that it was "icky". When she wandered off, Kurama turned a glare onto Kuronue who smiled innocently back him. "What?"

"You didn't tell me she was a restless sleeper."

" Huh? Oh...OH! Did I forget to tell you she kicks something fierce? My bad!" Kuronue laughed in a manner that clearly said it was NOT his bad, so Kurama kicked him in the shin and walked away. "OW! What was that for?"

" Did I forget to tell you my foot randomly kicks idiots? My bad!"

***Elapsed Time: Several Months***

"How do I make colors?" Avaria, finally having hit the three-foot mark in growth, stood next to her foxy big brother. He was sitting on a log outside Safe House number she didn't even know anymore, trying to meditate a bit. She had her hands on his leg and was staring up at him with those big, curious eyes. He tried to ignore her, he really did but she was nothing if not persistent. "Ni-saaaaaaaaaan!"

And loud.

"All right...all right." He sighed and opened his eyes, hauling her up onto his lap which made her giggle. She'd grown some over the last several months but she was still very small. She was somewhere between a 3 and 4-year-old physically, mentally she was far more mature than that, but he'd swear she spent far too much time with her childish Kuronue Ni-San. That said, somehow, much like last night, the bat did always manage to get the demoness he was angling for. He was taking serious advantage of Kurama's new willingness to babysit. "Now what was that you wanted to do? Make colors? Colors for what?"

" I want to paint!" She declared, meaning the walls of her room. "My room is boooooring...Except the bed!" Said bed was made out of spongy moss and edged with protective flowers. It was also filled with pillows and blankets because she liked to nest when she wasn't half sprawled over one of her big brothers.(She kicked in her sleep, a fact both had discovered quickly... and painfully.) Ni-Ni was tucked into her little wrap type belt, his eyes shining in the afternoon light as if he too wanted to "make colors".

" Oooooh I see. I suppose we can make something work." Kurama nodded, there was no end of plants and other natural materials they could use to make some colorful dyes. Heck, her current yukata-style outfit had been dyed by his own hands not too long ago. Purple fabric was expensive after all but it was her favorite color, so he just made some himself. "Which ones do you want?"

"All of them." She stated, giving him a look as if that was the dumbest question she'd heard in her life.

The fox blinked at her expression, he knew that look. It was HIS look, he gave it to Kuronue at least a dozen times a week. Opting to be proud instead of annoyed that she even managed to pick it up (though not the least bit surprised) he stood up and repositioned her over his shoulder like a sack of rice. "Guess we better go get some plants then huh?"

"Heeeeey! Put me down!" She protested but her squirming was weak and her giggles certainly didn't make her sound like she really minded too much. Which to be honest, she really did not mind at all and was firmly aware that if he did get to annoyed he'd drop her on her butt, he'd done it before and he would certainly do it again.

Except he wouldn't.

Not that the little mutt knew that and he certainly wouldn't let her know. Last time he'd dropped her it had actually been an accident; his grip had faltered. Truth was ever since the Incident (AKA when she neared DIED because of his own damn negligence.) he had been a lot more careful about letting her run around in the middle of the woods when they foraged for plants. If she went anywhere even NEAR something poisonous he'd snatch her back, even if it meant by the tip of her tail which was usually the case because she was a little freaking speed-demon when she wanted to be. See... Kurama was now something he'd never been before: Paranoid and over-protective.

"Keep squirming Kit, see where it gets you." He chuckled, feeling her slump over his shoulder and huff. "That's what I thought."

"Are we there yet?" It took her five minutes to ask that. Five. Minutes.

"Obviously not."

Two minutes later: "How about now?"

"No, Kit."

Another two minutes later: "Are we there now?"

"Have I stopped walking?"

"No."

"Then no."

30 seconds later " Are were there yeeeeeeet?"

"NO, Avaria."

"What about-!"

"I swear if you ask me one more time I will drop you right here and make you find your own way back."

One day she'd be as good a tracker as either of them. At this point in her life she could get lost trying to find her way out of an open burlap sack. Kurama relished the next ten minutes of silence.

"…. Are we there yet?"

"Damn it!"

***Chapter Fin****

A/N: I am so sorry things are taking me so much longer to get out... There has been some major family drama and my coping mechanism has become wine and yaoi manga. (Who knew the Kindle store had such...Sublime selections. Ahem... I totally recommend Finder Delux Edition which I think some people would know as Viewfinder? Also, Crimson Spell. Not only is it explicet but the stories are actually really well done too.)

Either way the family drama is really wearing us all down and so half the week I'm working and the other half I'm by myself on our dogs up at 7am schedule while my parents are two hours away dealing with stubborn relatives, two of which are constantly in Hospital... Pretty much because they didn't get help when they should have and now it's all snowballed and who gets to handle it? Us...we do...the only family they have.

Reviews appreciated! Thanks for reading!


	7. On Why We Can't Have Nice Things Part 2

**Untold History: The Good Ole' Days**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Yu Yu Hakusho, I own Avaria, that is all.

AN: So what do you get when your 86 year old grandmother refuses hospice care, your Aunt is in Long Term Care at one convalescence home and your uncle, the baby of grandma's little brood can't and also doesn't want to take care of himself and keeps getting pneumonia from the other convalescent home, which in turn means your parents have to spend half the week up in a rural farm town with crap ass medical care and the only real sign of cavillation is two fast food restaurants and a frigging Wal-Mart? While you are getting back into working after a year of medical issues yourself, taking care of the house and dogs while they're up there and basically having to totally distance yourself from the idiocy of your mother's family before they drag you down with them?

You get the last few months of m y life. I'm so sorry my updates are taking so long.

Chapter 7: On Why We Can't Have Nice Things Part 2

Kurama set the little kitten on her feet near a thorny thicket full of green leaves and ripe berries. Thankfully they were nowhere near the valley where the Hemlock grew or Kurama may have even tried to put her on a leash for all the good it would do him. (No good, it would do them no good. They had tried ONCE on a trip to the market…Avaria sat on the ground, gave them the flattest look a child could give and refused to move until the little harness had been removed from her.) He pulled a small bag out of a pocket and handed it to her, which she took without question.

"Can you tell me what those are?" He pointed to the thicket, it was practically overflowing with the deep purple berries, though the white tips of thorns were clearly visible between bunches. Unlike it's human-world counterpart, these bushes had thorns that were two to three inches long and the tips were barbed like porcupine quills. The berries were also about two or three times the size of the human world cousin too, but that's beside the point.

The fruit was totally worth it.

"Um…" Avaria eyed them, took a sniff then grinned. "Blackberries!"

"Correct…what is this plants defense mechanism?" Kurama was never one to pass up the chance to quiz her.

Avaria replied without hesitation. "Large barbed thorns that hide in the bunches. You can only see the white tips so they look harmless, but they'll stick and break off if they get in the skin!"

"Very good. Go and get the berries and _be careful._ " Kurama smiled at her, patting the top of her head affectionally. "And don't' eat them all either you little glutton."

"Kay!" Avaria threw him one of her I'm-so-Innocent looks which was a complete lie and rushed over to the thicket.

Kurama turned away from her, focusing on a far more dangerous plant across the clearing. It was a type of sorrel, technically. It thrived in the shade under the thick canopy of these old tree's, forming what looked like a thick, soft, luscious green carpet of clover-like leaves. The leaves looked velvety and inviting especially when covered in scant drops of morning dew or rain drops.

Kurama knew better.

He watched in morbid fascination as a small, furry forest creature scurried into the thick leaves. The resounding panicked squeaks, the sounds of tiny bones snapping, tiny joints popping, made him wince. He waited patiently for the plant to finish it's meal before pulling out some dried fish and luring several vines away from their safe mass. He sacrificed some blood and flesh for it but these leaves now weakly snapping in their own bag would make a beautiful pastel-like green.

And a formidable weapon should he choose to breed more.

Which he most definitely would.

"Avaria?" He turned back towards the thicket, realizing her giggling had gone decidedly quiet and facepalmed. Her face, her hands and even part of her top were covered in purple stains from the berries. Her bag was on the ground beside her, clearly a lot closer to being empty than full. "Avaria!"

She squeaked at his sharp tone and froze, ears pressing flat against her skull. She'd been caught and she knew it. She tried hastily to lick the evidence off her fingers and rub it off her face but she only made it worse. Blackberry juice stains everything it touches, and little girls are no exception. Quickly she stood and preceded to start quickly but carefully grabbing other bunches and stuff them into the bag.

"I didn't do it!" She was very focused on filling her bag suddenly as her big brother stood at her back staring down at her. She could feel his gaze on her back but refused to look up even as her little shoulders hunched like she was bracing for impact.

"What didn't you do, hm?" He drawled, curious as to how she'd play this one since he hadn't accused her of anything. Yet.

"It."

"And IT would be?"

"Whatever you think I did, I did not."

Kurama had a hard time not chuckling at that one. That was pure Kuronue right there, what she had just said, word for word. The bat often used that exact sentence on him, on marks, on a bed-mate or two, even on a random market vendor once. He smiled to himself and made a noise like he was thinking it over.

"Well…I think you were snacking instead of working."

"Was not."

"Then turn around and show me your face kit." He almost grinned watching her little back stiffen, her tail droop. She had a total of two choices here: turn around and admit it which would be more than obvious from the stains or she could refuse to turn around which would paint her guilty just as much.

Or…options number 3.

"Ack!" It was a brave sacrifice really, and Kurama couldn't help but admire her for it. Instead of refusing or admitting to a damn thing she started to turn towards him and dropped the open, now full bag "on accident". As berries spilled on the ground around her she stepped on her own tail, yelped like there was no tomorrow, and faceplanted right into them. The resulting mess of blackberry mud covered her arms, hands, chest, face, it was even in her hair!

Kurama was too stunned to be mad. Too stunned and far too proud.

This girl was going to make an EXCELLENT thief some day!

"You're getting a bath later."

"…Damn it…"

***Later in one of Kurama's many little laboratories***

"Avaria…Avaria no!" The fox sighed as he watched the little mutt run around the room, all energy and no focus. He blamed the berries, sugar or something…had to be it. It could also have been excitement of having her bath over and done with. Either way she really needed to stop ziping around the room like that."Give me the jar Avaria, your gong to-!"

And there it went.

White paint splattered all over the floor, shards of the clay jar it was in amidst the wreckage. Avaria froze, looking away and attempting to whistle. (A skill she had not yet mastered, it was like a bird going through puberty.) Kurama sighed, carding a hand through his hair before picking her up and stepping around the mess and out the door easily with his long stride.

"Sorry ni-san…" Her little voice was quiet and sincere, a pout on her face. She was sorry yes but she also knew this meant getting kicked out of the lab for the day which sucked.

"I'm sure you are. Well…if you've got so much energy lets go burn it off." Kurama acknowledged the apology and took her outdoors, setting her loose on the nearest grassy patch. It didn't take long really, soon a butterfly the size of her head flitted past and she took off after it, chasing it around the meadow-like area. It would have been heartwarming if she hadn't actually managed to catch the electric blue and black thing. "Avaria don't you dare!"

Too late...

"Urp..." She giggled, burping and spitting antennae out.

"Was that really necessary?" Kurama sighed, wiping bits of wing dust and pollen off her face.

"Yes." She shrugged, uncaring. She knew which bugs were and were not poisonous by now.

"Avaria...we do not eat insects unless we are in a survival situation. Clear?"

"Fiiiiiine..."

Kurama considered his solutions to this issue for a moment then stood and smirked. If she was so keen on chasing and biting things he'd put the skill to good use. Standing and taking her hand in his he tugged her towards the woods again. "Let's see how good you are at hunting."

They had rabbit stew for dinner.

**** A hop, skip and a few days later****

Kuronue was on his own with the kit. He'd been taking advantage of Kurama's new habit of actually giving a shit about her but tonight Kurama was going out. Because of this whole taking advantage of having a newly willing babysitter thing, Kuronue couldn't actually complain and he knew it. Avaria was excited to spend time with him too and that...that was just impossible to reject.

Letting the kitten have access to the paints that the fox was still in the process of making seemed simple enough. He didn't let her IN the lab, he got the jars himself and set them out for her in her room. He got her a jar of water and various brushes and set a makeshift drop cloth on the floor. Then he left her to her own devices to grab snacks. He wasn't gone more than a few moments, five at most, maybe ten.

He'd swear it later while being stared down by his partner.

Ten minutes, he was only gone for ten minutes. She was only unsupervised for ten minutes.

But ten minutes was more than enough time for little Avaria.

*****Oooooh Cliffhanger! ****

Oh, I know where it's going...I just feel like this is a good area to end the chapter. Also, kind of tired. Also stressed out. Reviews appreciated! Thank you for reading!


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